DESIGNER DISH: Eden Miller, First Plus Size Designer To Show At New York Fashion Week

I’m sure those of you who have been attending fashion week for years will debate my headline. But I will say that Eden Miller is the first plus size designer to show under the tents at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

The Fashion Law Institute chose her line, Cabiria, as a part of their showcase during fashion week. Eden is one of six designers and the only designer featuring clothes for larger women. Fashionista caught up with Eden and she revealed how the plus size community has responded and what she hopes will happen next for plus size retailers.

So how does it feel to be the first plus designer to show at fashion week?

I’m incredibly excited and so stoked about it, but there’s also a lot of pressure. Even though there is a lot of plus high-end stuff out there in the marketplace, they’ve never shown at straight size fashion week. So there’s a certain amount of pressure to show that this is still high fashion, that this is part of the fabric of the fashion world as it is now, in 2013. It’s not an indie showcase, it’s not these indie designers trying to make a scene or some punk kid coming in trying to be an upstart.

Have you shown at the plus fashion week in the past?

I haven’t shown Cabiria at Full Figured Fashion Week or all the other plus shows, in part because how I’ve been striving for the line to have this kind of mainstream approach. I think that what they’ve done with Full Figured Fashion Week is fantastic and offers a great vocal point for independent designers in the plus industry to be heard and seen, but I think that [those shows] are pretty much achieved under the radar. You’re not making any new sales or new customers by going to those.

What kind of responses have you gotten from the plus community since you’ve announced it?

Well first of all, they’re excited for me. I think they’re also flabbergasted. There’s a lot of questions about it. I just think nobody quite knows what’s gonna happen.

What are you hoping will happen?

I’m hoping it becomes a non-issue. I hope that it’s a beautiful show. I mean, I’ll be happy to get press coverage…but I’m really hoping that it’s seen just as the other offerings at fashion week.